Marketing Your Home When Selling by FSBO

12/24/2012

One of the main advantages of selling your home with a real estate agent is the fact that the agent will have a large network of connections that can be used to market your home. Of course, one of the main disadvantages of using a real estate agent to sell your home is the huge commissions that are paid to the agent, and the fact that you have a reduced amount of control over the selling process. This is why so many people opt to sell their home under the for sale by owner format. Of course, not having access to the large marketing network of a real estate agency can limit the exposure that your home receives with the potential buyers. It is imperative if you’re going to go the independent route that you have some pointers as to how you can market your home effectively on your own.

There are several ways that you can market your home when it is for sale by owner. Some of the most common are craigslist, home sellers co-ops, and local FSBO publications. Let’s take a few moments to look at each of these methods do more detail, beginning with the use of craigslist. Craigslist is a very popular social marketing site which allows individuals to place ads to sell everything from used cowboy boots to vacation villas. One of the most popular areas of the craigslist site is the real estate section which allows the listing of everything from housing to share to apartments for rent, and from condominiums to full houses for sale. Craigslist allows you to get huge exposure for your home to people who are actively interested in buying.

Real estate co-ops are another popular method of marketing your home when you’re selling yourself. These co-ops allow you to take advantage of the same type of large marketing networks at real estate agencies have access to, but without the huge commissions paid to real estate agents. A one-time fee lets you access to the co-ops resources for a period usually up to one year. The amount of this fee is usually a mere fraction of what you would pay in real estate commissions when listing your home with an agent.

The last, and most commonly used, method of marketing your home when selling it yourself is the use of FSBO magazines and publications in your local area. These publications generally allow you to list your home in their periodical for a term of up to 90 days for one flat rate. You can extend the listing as many times as you need for an additional charge. People who read these magazines and publications are actively interested in purchasing a home in the foreseeable future, and therefore, they are your best bet in terms of potential buyers for your home.

These are just a few of the ways that you can market your home when you’re attempting to sell it yourself. There are many more methods which can be used in order to get the greatest amount of exposure for your property. The simple fact of the matter is a home will never sell itself; it takes action on your part to get the listing out to those who are interested in buying.